AN: Most people have written a version of this, and here's mine! Shout out to my amazing beta reader who jumped in at the last minute, baebae-great. Fair warning, this does not end happily. Like, at all. I might post something short and very sweet later this week to make up for putting you through this... and now for the angst-fest.

"Let's get a move on, sweetheart. I'd like to get to Ord Mantell some time in the next century."

"Isn't this junk heap supposed to be the fastest thing in the galaxy?"

"Yeah, but only when we're in hyperspace. Sittin' in the hangar bay, not so much." Leia shot him a scathing glare.

"See you in a few days," Rieekan called after them. "If you don't kill each other first."

00

Leia successfully negotiated for the secret use of a well-known trade route with some Alliance-sympathizing trade controllers, and managed to get the talks done before 1500. The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze blowing. Neither of them wanted particularly to rush back to Echo Base, so it had taken very little for Han to convince Leia to stroll around the pleasant little town on Ord Mantell for the afternoon.

To Leia, it was like something out of someone else's life. As a princess, she'd never been allowed to go out of the palace without someone with her, and they never just casually wandered through the streets with no purpose. As a leader of the Rebellion, she rarely had a chance or a reason to be out of uniform or off-base. Now, here she was, wearing a light sundress, her fingers tangled with Han's between them—when had that happened? Not that she minded.

Everything had been going wonderfully until they'd sat down to dinner in a quaint little café. Han had seen two bounty hunters at the bar across the street. Han didn't think they'd been spotted yet, but they started back to the Falcon, just in case.

"Tell me again how you talked me into coming with you."

"Just get moving, sweetheart," Han said nervously, looking over his shoulder. "It was your choice to leave the Falcon. You could've stayed behind with Chewie." They continued walking.

"'Come enjoy the sun, your worship. It will be twenty below when we get back. How long has it been since you ate something other than rations? It will be fun, Leia,'" she mimicked.

"How was I supposed to know there would be bounty hunters?" He asked defensively. He was sure no one had followed them, but took no chances. He turned down an alley, telling Leia it was a shortcut.

In reality, Han had no idea if this was a good route back to the Falcon, but he wasn't giving her the satisfaction of knowing he was almost lost.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Leia asked, shooting Han a quick smirk. Damn. What women could figure out so easily never ceased to amaze Han.

"I'm sorry this isn't open streets, Your Worship," Han grumbled, "But you just don't go waltzing around when people want your head on a platter."

"And 'talking a stroll in the sunshine' isn't 'waltzing around'?"

"You know, for someone so small, you're an awful lot of trouble," Han said through gritted teeth.

"Thank you. Thank you so very much."

"You wanted to come along, sweetheart."

"You were the one who dragged me into this little outing. I had a mission, Solo-" Leia started, but Han cut her off.

"Nuh-uh, sister, I had no part in that mission. I came along as the muscle. That's it." Han pointed a finger at Leia.

"I don't need protection. I can take care of myself," Leia insisted. Han sighed at her.

"Sure you can. I only saved both our skins back there!" Han raised his voice. Even though it was my fault that your skin needed savin' in the first place.

"And you'll get what you're due when we get back. But this was not part of the deal! We were supposed to get back to the base as soon as possible!" Leia shouted back.

"All I'm asking for is a little gratitude! This was a necessary detour, sweetheart. You'll get back to your precious base soon enough," Han hotly reassured her.

Han knew they were speaking too intensely to save their cover, but neither of them could help it now. She knew the exact way to get under his skin and it ticked Han off to no end.

He tried maintaining a steady tone. "I'm only in it for the money, sweetheart," he repeated for the millionth time. "Down this way."

Han pulled Leia down another back alley, trying to cut streets, but raised his blaster as a cold feeling sent a shiver up his back. Someone was watching them; he could feel it. He saw Leia's eyes darting around; she could tell something was wrong, too.

Suddenly, they heard the unmistakable sound of a blaster shot. Without a thought of who or why, Han gripped Leia's hand tighter and pulled her into a run.

"Quick. To the Falcon," Han told Leia. He barely had time to register fear when blaster fire rained down from the rooftops of the alley.

Han shoved Leia ahead of him toward the open street. Somehow, the bounty hunters had traced them. Probably the yelling, Han thought, but he couldn't focus on that now. He just had to run. Han raced toward the cave that he'd piloted the Millennium Falcon into mere hours earlier, the princess running ahead of him.

"There's one right on our tail!" Leia shouted at him. Only a few hundred feet and they'd be under the cover of the cave. Leia's warning slowed Han's pace.

"Get to the Falcon and tell Chewie we're getting' out here!" Han spun to return fire, still running for the cave. He was shocked to find that very few shots were coming to him and that the greater amount were aimed at Leia. He didn't know what those bounty hunters were thinking, but he knew for certain he couldn't let any of them find their mark.

Han put on more speed, watching above to see if any shots were going to get lucky. He was getting closer to Leia. Closer.

He heard their pursuers squeeze off another round. Han saw the path of the beam and knew that if he didn't act, it would hit Leia.

"Leia!" Han shouted. Without thinking, Han shoved her into the cave out of the trajectory, putting himself in her place. Pain exploded all throughout his body as he knew the shot hit his left shoulder. He barely registered Leia screaming his name before feeling himself enveloped in fur and blacking out.

00

Chewie had flown them out. She didn't really remember much of the eight-hour flight back to the base from Ord Mantell; most of it had been spent trying to stop the bleeding on Han's shoulder. It shouldn't have surprised her but frustrated her nonetheless when she found the med-bunk stocked with no medical supplies other than some aspirin and a cough drop.

After they touched down, the whirlwind began. Leia vaguely remembered watching Han being carried off to medical while she went to debrief the command. Somewhere in there, Luke and half the rogues had come, asking questions. Someone must have slipped a sedative in her kaf, because the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to the ceiling of the med bay. She climbed out of the bunk and joined Chewie and Luke at Han's bedside.

At 2300, the medical officer announced that it was unlikely that Han would wake before morning, so Luke and Chewie decided to turn in.

Han was sleeping peacefully and the medbay was deserted save the droids and the two of them. Cautiously, so as not to wake him, she slipped her fingers between his.

She sat staring at their intertwined hands for close to an hour.

His grip tightened suddenly and she looked up to see him smiling at her.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I took a bolt from a DL-44 between my shoulder blades," he joked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured him.

"I was afraid that… they were going after you, sweetheart, and I was so worried that they'd hit you," he said.

"I knew there was more to you than money," Leia whispered shakily.

"I guess, but don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold," He teased. "Where's Chewie?"

"He went to get some sleep. Luke did, too." She drew her hand away from him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" He asked, suddenly realizing how late it was. She shrugged.

"Adrenaline, I guess." She shrugged again. "I can go, if you want me too," she added quietly, standing.

"No, Leia. Stay." He caught her hand. She obliged, retaking her seat. He didn't relinquish her hand and rubbed circles on her palm with his thumb until she fell asleep.

He sat looking over her face. She was beautiful, but you'd have to be a fool not to see that. The way her hair framed her face just perfectly, the gentle curve of her lips, slightly parted in her sleep. His gaze moved to her eyes, her huge, brown, expressive eyes. He remembered the fear that he'd seen there earlier.

That was your fault. Your fault. He'd been denying if for far too long: he'd come to care about Leia more than he had cared about another person in a long time. Those bounty hunters were after you, Solo, and they almost killed her. The thought of Leia, dead… his stomach churned. If you hadn't taken that bolt, she'd be the one in this bed…or in the morgue. She'd almost died because of him.

Han had no delusions about this. This was war, and people died. But Leia… she wasn't supposed to die. She was supposed to grow old and raise her family and be happy. She wasn't supposed to die at the hands of the Empire and she sure as hells wasn't supposed to die for his stupidity.

He looked down at her small hand encased in his. This can't keep going on. I have to go. She can't die for me.

He pulled his hand from hers.

The medical officer came through around 0200.

"You're good to go, Solo. You can stay til morning or head back to your own ship and your own bed. Might make for better rest," he recommended.

"Thanks." He looked to the woman slumbering in the chair, her hand centims from his. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of this.

Han pushed the covers back gently, gathered his belongings in silence, and walked out of the medbay.

AN: Sorry.

Please R&R!